When an NFL franchise wins six Super Bowls in a quarter-century, there’s a pretty good chance they have a slew of Hall of Fame talent, which is exactly the case with the New England Patriots.
The Pats’ were fortunate enough to land coach Bill Belichick in 2000 and a late round draft pick out of Michigan by the name of Tom Brady that spring, and the dynamic duo teamed up to win titles in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
Brady retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in approximate value at 326 between his time with the Patriots from 2000 to 2019 and his final three years with Tampa Bay.
Throw in a bevy of current and future Hall of Famers around Brady, and you’ve got the recipe for a two-decade dynasty, which brings up the thorny question of which New England players stand out among a stacked field of competition.
With the offseason in full swing and serious Massachusetts sports betting on the NFL months away, it allows us to take a step back and look at some fun historic takes — like the always loved Mount Rushmore.
Utilizing ProFootballReference.com, BetMassachusetts.com developed the Patriots’ Mount Rushmore of the past decade. The players included had to have played for the Patriots for at least three years during this time period, and it is based on their Approximate Value during those years with the team.
Patriots Mount Rushmore of Last Decade
BetMGM Massachusetts lists San Francisco as the Super Bowl favorite at +500, followed by back-to-back champion Kansas City at +650.
Who Makes List After Brady?
Obviously, the ringleader of the Patriots dynasty is included on the Pats’ Mount Rushmore of the last decade, with Brady wracking up 93 AV between 2014 and 2023 (out of his career total of 285 AV with New England from 2000 to 2019).
Brady won his third and final MVP in 2017, while reaching the NFL’s first-team All-Pro list that same year and leading the NFL in passing yards (4,577) —doing all that in his age-40 season. While Brady’s inclusion on any New England Mount Rushmore is of little surprise, the other three members might be unexpected to the casual onlooker.
McCourty finished his 205-game career with 95 AV between 2010 and 2022, 63 coming between 2014 and 2022 with a pair of All-Pro selections in 2013 and 2016 and a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
Hightower played 10 seasons with New England from 2012 to 2021, with an All-Pro team inclusion in 2016 and a pair of Pro Bowl appearances in 2016 and 2019, which was his most valuable season by AV at 17.
Edelman went from being a seventh round pick out of Kent State to hauling in 620 catches for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns in 137 NFL games (all with New England) from 2009 to 2020. The wily veteran earned 53 AV between 2014 and 2020. The slot receiver had his most valuable year in 2014, when he had 13 AV after finishing with 972 receiving yards on 92 catches and four receiving touchdowns.
While the past invokes powerful memories for Patriot fans, the present is less certain. Under new coach Jerod Mayo, Massachusetts betting apps list New England as +15000 to win the Super Bowl, tied with four other teams for the second worst odds in the NFL.
